Single? Getting A Dog Could Help You Live Longer - Here’s Why

Why Is This Important?

Long Story Short

Getting a dog isn’t just a great way to add some unconditional love to your life, it can also help you live longer (especially if you’re single), according to a study from Sweden’s Uppsala University.

Long Story

Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden (the same university that discovered a link between dog ownership and a lowered risk of asthma) have found that owning a dog, especially if you’re single, has some seriously surprising health benefits, like lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease and helping you live longer.

Analyzing the health records of 3.4 million Swedes (48% were male and the average age was 57), which included a myriad of info, including medical history and lifestyle details, like whether or not they owned a pooch (13.1% were identified as dog owners), researchers discovered that “dogs may be beneficial in reducing cardiovascular risk in their owners by providing social support and motivation for physical activity.”

The study, which spanned 12 years, found that single adults living alone reaped the most benefits, as “dog ownership appears to be associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in single-person households and lower mortality in the general population.”

And that's not all. “In age and sex-adjusted analysis, dog ownership was inversely associated with risk of acute myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and heart failure," as well as "cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality.” Turning that into percentages, “single dog-owning adults who lived alone were 11 percent less likely to subsequently develop heart disease and 33 percent less likely to die than non-dog owners.” WOW.

Although no exact reason was found to explain the correlation, researcher Mwenya Mubanga speculated that “perhaps a dog may stand in as an important family member in the single households.” Meanwhile, fellow researcher Tove Fall added, “We know that dog owners in general have a higher level of physical activity, which could be one explanation to the observed results. Other explanations include an increased well-being and social contacts or effects of the dog on the bacterial microbiome in the owner.”

Oh, and if you're wondering if different breeds have different levels of impact, “ownership of hunting dogs was associated with lowest risk of CVD.” Time to get that Lab or Golden Retriever you've always wanted. Or both!

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What are dogs not great for?

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Owning a dog can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.

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Single dog owners who lived alone were 33% less likely to die than non-dog owners.